Need information on cost to ship a scooter (like a small motorcycle) to the VI

Also, Tom, the quotes you are seeing are likely based on the bike already being in Florida. You'll have to send it cross country to ship if you buy something in Oakland, which will add at least a few hundred bucks to the expense. I don't expect you'll be able to save any money by doing this.

And any rider with even half a brain knows better than to listen to advice from PEOPLE WHO DO NOT RIDE. Come on, OT; can the insults. Yes, it's important to understand what the road conditions are. But if you don't ride a motorcycle, you're unqualified to assess the mental status of those of us who do.

As far as being insulting you might consider the same admonition. No, I do not ride NOW and haven't in my decades of living on STT but I used to ride a scooter, not a motorbike (which in any case was never under discussion here where the OP's questions were concerned). No insults were leveled, simply (strong) opinion based on facts garnered from my own experiences seeing many very nasty scooter wrecks on STT over the years and many discussions with emergency room personnel who deal with them regularly.

PS: Something jogged my memory and, amongst other similar posts you've written on the same subject, you said this a few years ago:

"Amen. A scooter is just a motorcycle that's harder to tip over, which is why they're popular among people with no riding experience. Unfortunately, the laws of physics apply pretty much the same way to scooter riders as to motorcyclists.

All that said, I have a scooter on St John, but it is NOT for everybody. And there is no substitute for good safety gear, which adds hundreds of dollars to the cost of bike ownership. ($10 helmets are fine ... for $10 heads.)"

Seems your opinion has changed over the years.

First bike I had down here was a yami 650 cruiser. Nice ride with all the power you could need. On most roads it was fine (even rode scenic east on occasion). But I wanted more fun 🙂

Current bike is a kawi KLR650. Big dual sport with aggressive tires. Not a road on this island I can't navigate. Although with a full tank she's a bit top heavy.

For economy and fun I'd look at a lighter 250-450 dirt bike, or If you've got $$ the yami 250 with fuel injection!. That may be a 'next bike' but I do want to build a nice chopper one of these days too.

If you really want a scooter, you should spend the extra over the cheap Chinese imports, and get a good Honda Ruckus. They have bigger wheels/tires to better handle rougher roads. There are a few on-island and well spoken about. You should be able to get a better deal on one up in the states and then ship it. That said there are lots of cheap Chinese little scooters all over the island. One friend of mine had two, so he could always be sure of one running!

Don't listen to the detractors. Many folks ride every day down here. Security can be a concern. I've heard of bikes being stolen - even from someones upstairs deck.

One last caveat - please don't drink and ride - but if must please check the organ donor box ,so your stupidity can benefit others. 😎

You may want to make sure you can get parts for your scooter, easily, if need be, whether locally or by mail.

Thanks Alana. I had imagined that might be a problem. I was willing to roll the dice on buying a used (but very recent) scooter kept in excellent condition, thinking that in the several months to a year that I'll need it, the odds of it breaking down are smaller. But as for parts replacements, etc, if it turns out that a particular battery or tire or exhaust can't be hjad anywhere because they stopped making them, etc, well that will be a bummer.

fdr, thanks for pointing that out, in re shipping across the US before shipping out from FL. I looked into it, and the best estaimate seems like maybe 600, more like 700 or more. Like you say, even if I get a great deal here on a scooter, the savings would probably be erased from S & H alone.

IslandHops, thanks again for coloring in the lines as far as how to live with and ride a motorized two-wheeler on STX. From what I gather, of course the risks of driving these things is higher down there (with potholes and crazy hills, not many shoulders, and some reckless drivers). But to me it sounds like there is some wriggle room for conscientious and careful riders to know how to minimize those risks while enjoying the wind in the hair, etc. Def very encouraging that the challenges are not prohibitive. You also raised the issue of getting better quality scooter, or even a low cc motorbike. I am open to the idea in general, but because the courts don't hand out paychecks for the first six weeks of employment, apparently, I have to be careful about how much of my savings I plow through on thr front end. Hence, I am forcing myself into the frugal choice of probably having to buy a used but well maintained Chinese scooter, for $1000 or even less. My goal is to upgrade to something else within a couple months. You have given me some good two-wheel ideas to think about. 🙂

JulieKay you raise another big issue I had wondered about -- property theft. I too had heard about how break-ins and thefts and what not can happen with regularity if you are in the "wrong part of town" or if you are not savvy with your stuff. If/when I buy one of these things, I am really gonna have to come up with a way to take extra precautions against having the thing disappear on me while I am reading on the beach etc.

Thanks again, all. Lots of great details here. And, just so you know, the whole scooter thing is just one part of the big plan. My real goal is to go down there to work hard and play hard, and to get to know the lifestyle and the culture, etc. Apparently I will be arriving just in time for the annual Carnival in late December. Can't wait to check that out!

t.

Bring lots of $$ in case your first paycheck is delayed.
I don't know if the court system has to wait for a NOPA to be issued to get paid but new people in the system can get stuck waiting longer than imagined for thier first paycheck. Good Luck to you.

Hey Tom,
Just to let you know you can find scooters on line that come with free shiping to Miami! Unfortunatly most of them are the cheaper Chinese models! I bought one and had a horible time just to start it, and it still has problems! Stick with the name brands that have a good track record, se. Honda, Yamaha, Vespa, etc,,,,,You'l pay more, but with less headaches! I say get a scooter! It's alot of fun!
D

And any rider with even half a brain knows better than to listen to advice from PEOPLE WHO DO NOT RIDE. Come on, OT; can the insults. Yes, it's important to understand what the road conditions are. But if you don't ride a motorcycle, you're unqualified to assess the mental status of those of us who do.

As far as being insulting you might consider the same admonition. No, I do not ride NOW and haven't in my decades of living on STT but I used to ride a scooter, not a motorbike (which in any case was never under discussion here where the OP's questions were concerned). No insults were leveled, simply (strong) opinion based on facts garnered from my own experiences seeing many very nasty scooter wrecks on STT over the years and many discussions with emergency room personnel who deal with them regularly.

PS: Something jogged my memory and, amongst other similar posts you've written on the same subject, you said this a few years ago:

"Amen. A scooter is just a motorcycle that's harder to tip over, which is why they're popular among people with no riding experience. Unfortunately, the laws of physics apply pretty much the same way to scooter riders as to motorcyclists.

If you the idea of driving a motorcycle up and down a mountain in torrential rain frightens you at all, you should not drive a scooter in the USVI.

If you have no experience riding on dirt or gravel, you should not drive a scooter here, either.

And even if you are a skilled, cautious, conservative, experienced motorcyclist, you still gotta watch out for the tourists driving on the wrong side of the road!

All that said, I have a scooter on St John, but it is NOT for everybody. And there is no substitute for good safety gear, which adds hundreds of dollars to the cost of bike ownership. ($10 helmets are fine ... for $10 heads.)"

Seems your opinion has changed over the years.

No part of my opinion has changed, and nothing I wrote contradicts anything else I wrote, today or years past. I just object to being told I have half a brain. Notice that my old post doesn't call anyone stupid. And I used the present tense of the verb "ride" for a reason. I did not insult you or anyone else. Quit deflecting and look in the mirror.

Now I remember why I took a year off from visiting this board. Sheesh. Probably time for me to join Trade and dontw8.

I just object to being told I have half a brain.

Methinks you protest too way much over a simple comment made in context. But look at it this way, since you feel so personally affronted. The average human being uses only a very small fraction of its brain during a lifetime so maybe that half a brain I alluded to is, in your case, vastly superior to the average ...

FDR - I agree with your assessments on riding here and I'm sure the OP appreciates the input. Being dissuaded from contributing to the board is unfortunate, especially for folks that could benefit from your input. But I understand completely as it's just too draining to do otherwise.

FYI, I shipped my 225lb motorcycle from FL to STX, it cost me 700$

I recommend crating the bike, take off the handle bar and mail it to your self, call the bike "parts" and ship it that way, MUCH cheaper.

If the potholes and roads don't get ya, the drivers will.
Be aware.

NO JOKE! You couldn't PAY me to ride a scooter on STT. MAYBE on STX but I feel like I need a bulldozer to be safe on STT. Almost was killed on peterborg point a couple weeks ago. I still have no idea how they didn't hit me nor how I managed to stay on side of the road and not roll off into the bush. Most scariest driving moment since my near fatal accident when I was 17. Also had a close call with an idiot today that decided they didnt want to stop at the 3 way down to Hull/Sibs/Town. Thats a dangerous place as is the right turning at Mafolie into town.

STX is pretty nice riding, I've been to STT & those roads are just... well retarded, I could see being hesitant to ride there, especially with the 1 way streets that change direction at different times of the day (but not many people seemed to pay attention to that when I was driving them..)

STX however, nice flat roads, enough pavement that its smooth everywhere you go (as long as you use the whole lane... haha) and as long as you are used to people randomly stopping to let other drivers onto the road ( a very polite habit IMO; but some of them don't have brake lights) then there's no issue.

FDR, thanks for your input. Please don't abandon this board on account of a disagreement. I'm the new guy here, and I am already valuing your input. Plus, you have named yourself (maybe unintentionally) with the same initials as one of my favorite all-time US Presidents, so that makes you doubly appreciated, IMHO.

More good insights from LiquidFlouride and AandA2VI. I have decided I will not ship any two-wheel vehicle from the 48 states, despite the huge choice I have here among second-hand scooters. My not-yet-getting-paid, pre-move nest egg simply won't allow it. So, I'll get there and see what pops up locally, maybe instead buy a beater car for several months if I can find one for less than $1500 (that actually runs).

At the very least, it's encouraging that STX is so much flatter in its roads than STT is. I could make this work after all.

just an FYI... vehicles are ridiculously over priced here... I'd say the lower end budget for a reliable car is 3,500+; this is NOT the states and shipping in something (especially a two wheeled something) is probably very economical in comparison to what's here.

I ride every single day to work (only electric motorcycle on the island, or the VI, as far as I know) and it's a joy, the weather is always amazing and even if you get caught in rain (which I have only once) it passes in 10-20 min or less... when I got caught in a heavy down pour I just pulled over under some cover and played on my phone till it passed, then went on my way to work.

over all, STX should be covered in motorcycles IMO, they are very economical, easy to park and a great way to get around.

Wait is OT is disagreeing with someone??? Thats so weird. :-/ Dang girl you certainly live up to your name. I still got luv for ya thou.

Tomi - 2k will get you a beater on STT so I bet on STX your'e right on par. In my situation it took me a couple months to find a car but I specifically wanted a CRV and came in busy season. You will find MUCH less in bust season.... again at least in STT. Right now theres so much here for sale and places for rent. Good time to come to the islands. Wish my boyfriend would have listened to me (as usual) and moved in off season - woulda saved us some $$$.

Several years ago, my neighbor shipped a motor bike via USPS.
He disassembled it, packed it in boxes, and took it to the Post Office.

sloop

Paradise is shipping my 280 pounds bike from their Miami warehouse for about $300. Don't forget that you will need to add the following costs: 16 cents per pound tax #1 and 6% (if manufactured outside the US) of invoice/bill of sale tax #2.

Paradise is shipping my 280 pounds bike from their Miami warehouse for about $300. Don't forget that you will need to add the following costs: 16 cents per pound tax #1 and 6% (if manufactured outside the US) of invoice/bill of sale tax #2.

Thanks for the info, everybody. Sloop, that's an awesome idea. if it were a road bike I could take it apart into pieces in under an hour. Scooters and motorcycles no way. Maybe down the road when I get more familiar with how they are made (and have more time to figure it out), I'll give it a whirl.

Mixie, thanks for that rough quote.

Do you know how Paradise operates? Must you take the thing to their place of business? Do they pick it up from local Miami residences/businesses? I'll call them tomorrow, but I thought you might know the answer anyway. The reason I ask is that I may be able to buy a scooter from a business or an eBay buyer who is located in Miami. A stretch, but I have bought $1500 road bikes on eBay before, and they were in tip-top shape.

ParadiseFreight has a warehouse west of Miami. You simply ship to them and they take care of the rest. I believe they have a container going out once a week. Note that they will need the original title and an invoice/bill of sale.